


An Irregular Case

by SickBacchus



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Mild Rape/Non-con References, Romance, Victorian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-12
Updated: 2011-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-18 12:24:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/561052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SickBacchus/pseuds/SickBacchus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holmes is paying special attention to one particular client, and Watson doesn't appreciate it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Irregular Case

 Title: An Irregular Case  
Characters/Pairings: Holmes/Watson, OMC  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine  
Summary: Holmes is paying special attention to one particular client, and Watson doesn't appreciate it.

I was grateful for the warmth of the flat after the bitter cold on the street. I walked up the stairs, calling out to Holmes as he removed his coat and scarf, “By God, I think I am beginning to understand your reclusive habits, it is absolutely- Oh, excuse me.”

Holmes was sitting in his armchair, listening to a young man, (‘hopefully a client’ I thought, ‘we could use the money,’) on the settee. The man was dressed in a fine suit that accentuated his slender build, and his fair curls fell around his delicate face, which were currently focused on Holmes in was way which made my stomach clench.

More disturbing was Holmes. He was not listening to the youth with the quiet, demeaning arrogance he used for most clients, but leaning forward, towards the settee, and smiling. ‘Like he does with me’ I thought, scowling.

“I’ll just… be off to my room then…” I turned to go.

Holmes looked up, “Nonsense, please sit, you are always useful during cases, and I feel this one will be no different.”

I did so, muttering under my breath, “I’m so glad I can be useful to you.”

Holmes returned his attention to the young man, “Mr. Walsh, I fear our conversation has been quite engaging, enough that you have yet to explain your situation. However, now that my colleague is here, I feel now would be a good time to move on to more pressing matters.”

Walsh looked at me nervously, and back to Holmes, and blushed most beautifully. It was nauseating.

“Well, sirs, it’s rather an embarrassing story, and I can’t go to the Yard.” He looked at me, “Mr. Holmes has promised not to turn me in for… and he has assured me that you also will not inform the police.”

I frowned, then tried to rearrange my face to look compassionate. “What have you done, boy?”

He blushed deeper, and looked at Holmes, who nodded encouragingly. “I’m an invert. This case concerns… well, a man I would not engage in… well, a man I am not interested in having pursue me is pursuing me, with increasing force and persistence. I need your assistance.”

I looked back and forth from Holmes’ and the young mans face, eyes wide. Had Holmes been sitting discussing sodomy while I was out of the flat? The idea of it left me reeling.

Holmes looked at me lazily, leaning on his hand. “Really Watson, I am surprised at you. Are such practices so shocking to you?” His voice was calm and unemotional, but I could see his long fingers seemed tense against his face, and he was not quite meeting my eyes.

“Oh, shut up, Holmes.” I said, “I am not shocked.” I turned back to Walsh, who was looking nervously between us.

“Well, I… there is not much more. I am not so much worried that this man will expose me, which would expose himself as well, however, he is growing increasingly forceful with his, requests, and I am growing concerned for my safety.”

While I sympathized with the young man for his situation, I also felt sorry in that his problem contained no mystery, and would be of no interest to my friend.

“My boy, I really feel you would be better served to use your money to hire protection, a brute to convince this… admirer to leave you be.”

“Nonsense Watson!” Holmes interjected. “We will take the case!”

Walsh smiled, relieved, and I had a brief internal war between my sense of compassion, and my panic over the fact that my friend had seemed to have suddenly grown a sense of compassion, inspired by a young dandy.

“What do you mean ‘take the case’? There is no case! This does not call for a detective so much as a thug, and I hope you are not expecting me to be your thug!”

“Oh hush, I do not plan on hurting this villain, though I don’t doubt he would deserve it,” The young man blushed again, and Holmes smiled at him, “No, physical force has no finesse…. I think blackmail is the answer.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but stopped myself. To protest protecting a young man against assault… was I not constantly arguing with Holmes to be more compassionate? But although my morals were satisfied, my animal mind was raging. I have been living in this flat for ages, walking on eggshells to keep my inner thoughts from Holmes, terrified I would be discovered and Holmes would break ties with me. After all my control and forcing myself to be satisfied with scraps of affection, could this boy waltz in and take what I had been denying myself for years?

“Of course, to be effective, we will need to know what kind of man he is. What has he done to threaten you? Have the intimidation tactics progressed past verbal and into physical territory? Do you know his motivation?”

Walsh looked like he was steeling himself. “Well, from what he says, he wants me for himself. I… have a few admirers.-“

“Understandable,” said Holmes. I snorted.

“Don’t editorialize.”

Holmes smiled at me, “I apologize, my dear Watson. I just mean to say that young Walsh’s desirability plays a great deal into the case.”

“Damn it, are you purposely...” I gritted my teeth and turned back to Walsh. “Never mind. Carry on,”

Walsh continued, “Well, I just meant that I did not take my pursuer very seriously at first, and I fear I even lead him on a bit. Just for play, but he seems to have taken it quite seriously.”

“Of course. Hell hath no fury like a lover scorned, and such.” Holmes looked thoughtful. “May I ask, why did you pay him special attention? Is he a handsome man?”

“Well, yes, in his way he is quite handsome. He is quite large and masculine, and popular too, so I was flattered by his attention. But my particular taste is more… refined.” He looked at my friend, with a charming smile, and the second meaning in his words was all to clear.

To my horror, Holmes continued to play along, “Refined? Can you elaborate on that for me?”

“I don’t see how that is relevant,” I interjected, standing up. I took a breath, then walked to Holmes’ chair, and sat on the arm, pressing my side against Holmes’ shoulder.

I worried that my possessive reaction was too obvious, but we had sat like this before, and just like those times, pressure of Holmes contact felt extraordinarily warm. I glared at Walsh, who, his innocent mask pulled back, smiled deviously back at me. It suited him.

Holmes tensed for a moment after I perched next to him. Then he relaxed, and laid a comforting hand on the small of my back.

“Of course, you are correct, my dear man, we should stay on topic. Now, we need to find the right way to blackmail him. The threat of exposing his inversion to the public is a useless bluff, for if we exposed him, he could in turn expose you, Mr. Walsh. I think the image we need to threaten is the one he holds in the invert community, where you say he hold’s such high standing.”

I vaguely followed his words, paying more attention to the way his hand curved with my back. I tried to act normal, not wanting Holmes or Walsh to realize I felt this was anything but normal.

“Do you have any information that could be useful in damaging his reputation?”

“I do…” Walsh replied, tentatively. “You asked if his threats had reached a physical level. They have. Not beatings, but I do have bruises from his finger marks where he has grabbed me on several occasions.”

Holmes stood up, taking his hand off my back, “He assaulted you! The brute!” and sat next to Walsh on the settee. “Where?”

“Well, many places... I could show you.” Walsh turned his face and smiled at me mischievously. My fists clenched.

“Yes, yes, that would be more efficient. Fingerprints will reveal strength and size, as well as intention,” Holmes said.

Walsh removed his waistcoat, and handed it to Holmes, who, holding it, looked at me, and smiled, flushing slightly, and returned his gaze to Walsh, who had begun to unbutton his shirt. His collarbone was revealed, white and delicate, I noticed. I looked at Holmes, and it was apparent to me that he had noticed as well.

“That is enough.” I strode across the room and grabbed Walsh by the collar and dragged him out the door and down the stairs. I opened the door, shoved him out and slammed it shut.

I stomped back up the stairs to see Holmes still sitting on the settee, calmly smiling.

“Well, that seemed a bit extreme, didn’t it, my dear Watson?”

“Don’t Holmes.”

“I do hope he can find someone else to help him with his problem, so that you are not responsible for any harm that comes to him.”

I sneered. “I doubt there was any truth to his story. It was just a deception to get you to… Damn it!”

Holmes smiled kindly. “I’m afraid your detective work needs more practice. You are right on the first count, but not the second. His story was indeed untrue. However in was not to get me to do anything, but to get you to react.”

I sat next to him on the settee, sulking. “That seems unlikely. He clearly achieved the desired reaction out of you. Out of me he just got…” I stopped, realization coming over me.

“Oh Holmes, you didn’t…”

Holmes grinned. “Yes, I’m afraid that’s one of my irregulars you just frightened half to death.”

“You hired one of your irregulars to seduce you in front of me?”

“It was to test a theory.”

I grimaced and looked away. “You wanted to see if I had any bit of inversion in me?”

I felt Holmes shift beside me. Then, quietly he said, “Well, actually, I wanted to know if your inversion was more… specific.”

I had been quite exposed then. My jealousy was quite apparent, and there was no point in hiding. I hesitated anyway. Then turning to look at him, I whispered, “Yes. The answer to both questions is yes.”

The silence that followed was unbearable. We looked at each other, me nervous, him unreadable. I felt my temper rise again.

“Wonderful! Now you know I have a weakness for selfish Detectives, and I know you have a weakness for pretty young men. Your skills are extraordinary, as always.”

I moved to stand up, but he pulled me back, pressed his face into the back of my neck and wrapped his arms around my chest.

“I am selfish,” he said. His words cause him to breathe against my neck and I shuddered.

“What?”

“I am selfish. I greatly enjoyed seeing you lose your composure over me.” As he spoke his lips brushed over my neck. We both sat frozen for a moment, then suddenly Holmes dragged his tongue along my neck from my collar to my nape.

In an instant everything was frenzied. I turned around and pressed my mouth against his. His hands gripped my shirt like his was afraid of drowning, and my hands tangled in his hair.

We broke apart, Holmes gasping and flushed, and I leaned on his shoulder.

“So, you faked an attraction to the man to cause a reaction in me.”

Holmes rested his cheek on my head. “Well, I must admit, it wasn’t all acting. You saw him, and I’m not made of stone.”

I grabbed him by the collar and looked him in the eyes. “I know that boy is one of your irregulars, and you need him to act as your eyes, but by God, you are going to transfer him across London. Across country.”

“Oh Watson.”

“Damn it Holmes. Couldn’t you have used someone I could live up to? You used someone fair and delicate, while I am quite brown and-“

“Certainly not delicate,” Holmes said smiling, running his hand up my arm. “I am afraid you misunderstand. It is quite the other way around. I never tried to find someone resembling you to test my theory. I could never find anyone to live up to my dear Watson.”

He leaned in and kissed me, and that was the last we spoke for a long while.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
